1. Field of the Invention
The present invention deals with the certain novel lactam based lubricating components which are guerbet alcohol derived ether containing lactam compounds. These materials are useful as lubricating oils where outstanding liquidity, resistance to oxidation, and minimal variation in viscosity as a function of temperature is required. This combination of properties make these compounds excellent candidates as additives to synthetic lubricating oil and extreme pressure additives.
2. Description of the Art Practices
Lower alkyl pyrrolidones have found applications as low toxicity aprotic solvents. However the absence of a hydrophobe on the molecule make the lower alkyl products water soluble and of no value as oil additives.
The reaction of aliphatic primary amines with butyrolactone is well known to those skilled in the art and is disclosed in various publications and a series of patents by Rajadhyaksha, including U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,040 issued Dec. 27, 1983, which teaches that 1-substituted azacyclohexan-2-ones can be prepared and used as physiologically active agents. Related patents to Rajadhyaksha include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,525,199; 4,461,638; 4,444,762; 4,562,075; 4,316,893; 4,122,170; 4,405,616; and 4,415,563. These materials are surfactants, emulsifiers or wetting agents and lack both the ether linkage and the required guerbet moiety and consequently are of no value as synthetic lubricant additives.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,188,317 to Hickner discloses a series of products which are oxazolidinone derivatives useful as herbicides. The Hickner products while structurally related to the compounds of the present invention, lack the guerbet functionaily which is critical for the lubrication, liquidity, oxidative stability and other functional properties of the present invention. These new attributes are unexpected results which are superior to and unanticipated by Hickner. Additionally, the Hickner patent requires the reaction of the anion of the hydroxyl group of the alcohol with a halogenated intermediate. As will be shown later, guerbet alcohols, by virtue of their bulky beta branch, are not reactive with the halogenated intermediate of Hickner. In short, guerbet alcohols could not be substituted into the invention of Hickner to give the desired products.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,190 to O'Lenick teaches that certain alkoxylate esters are useful as lubricants useful in facilitating the working of metal. Unlike the compounds of the present invention the O'Lenick compounds are esters and as such are subject to hydrolysis if used as lubrication oils. Additionally the O'Lenick esters are also alkoxylated to make them surface active. The compounds of this invention are hydrolytically stable lactams and are not surface active.